#the genesis of misery

[transbookoftheday]

Trans Books By Authors Of Color

Here are some trans books by authors of color you should read:

Book titles:

Lark & Kasim Start a Revolution by Kacen Callender

The Witch King by H.E. Edgmon

The Genesis of Misery by Neon Yang

The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa

Just Happy To Be Here by Naomi Kanakia

The Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

The Subtweet by Vivek Shraya

Lakelore by Anna-Marie McLemore

Drag Me Up by R.M. Virtues

Unwieldy Creatures by Addie Tsai

Three Kings by Freydís Moon

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi

The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons

#trans book of the day #trans books #queer books #bookblr #booklr #author of color #authors of color #trans authors of color #lark and kasim start a revolution #the witch king #the genesis of misery #the wicked bargain #just happy to be here #the bruising of qilwa #light from uncommon stars #meet cute diary #cemetery boys #the subtweet #lakelore #drag me up #unwieldy creatures #three kings #pet #the passing playbook

[aroaessidhe]

Sci-fi books where a queer woman has the ghost of an annoying dead guy in her head

*Misery is nonbinary (she/they) and who’s in her head is not dead or a guy but I’m counting it, okay

#scriveners moon is also YA and later in a series i just. needed an extra to round out the post #(i am sure there are other books like this around....tell me them..) #a memory called empire #the first sister #the stars undying #ninefox gambit #the genesis of misery #scrivener's moon #i havent read the other ninefox gambit books. i need to do that. one day #(also in TFS i probably wouldn't describe [spoiler] as annoying lol. maybe not some of the others also but anyway) #book list

[lilareviewsbooks]

Queer Normal-World in SFF Books

Here are five books where being queer is the norm, aka there is no homophobia or transphobia at all! Not all these books are fluffy though -- most of them have heavy conflicts and a bunch of shit going down, but at least no one has a problem with anyone being gay!

These are my favorite kind of books and I have so, so many recommendations, so let me know if you ever want more of these :) And I can also absolutely do only fluffy queer books, too!

The Genesis of Misery, by Neon Yang

Mx. Yang's books are perfect for this type of prompt. The Genesis of Misery is their most recent, and the premise is absolutely killer. It follows Misery Nomaki (she/they), who is haunted by an apparition of an angel. While she is convinced she is mentally ill like her mother, and that her visions are a symptom, people around her seem more and more certain that she is actually some sort of messiah. 

I have my issues with The Genesis of Misery, but it’s a very creative sci-fi that’s worth the read. It includes mecha, interesting depictions of religion, which permeates the entire story, and, of course, excellent queer rep. We have characters who use neo-pronouns, a polyamory situationship and most characters are queer. Not to mention, it’s written by a queer and non-binary author, which is always a plus. It’s part of an on-going series, though, so be prepared to wait a little while for the sequel! 

Plus, The Locked Tomb fans might be interested to know that there’s a very cavalier-necromancer dynamic in this, and that Rebecca Roanhorse (who wrote Black Sun) described it as Joan of Arc meets Gideon The Ninth. 

Yep. You wanna read it, don’t you?

(Also, if for some reason you’re like: “gee, I really wish there was a black-and-white silent movie with a killer score that touched on these same themes”, then you should probably watch The Passion of Joan of Arc (Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1928). It’s not explicitly gay, but it is queer in my heart. And it rocks.)

The Locked Tomb Series, starting with Gideon The Ninth, by Tasmyn Muir

Since I mentioned it, I guess I might as well include The Locked Tomb in here! This is a Tumblr favorite, and with good reason, because The Locked Tomb fucking rocks. It’s hard to pitch it to someone without ruining the whole point of the series, but the first book follows a necromancer, Harrowhark and her sworn swords-woman, her cavalier, the butch-as-hell Gideon, as they’re summoned to the First House to compete to become Lyctors, the companions of God. 

Yeah, I know that’s a lot, and, to be honest, it’s probably not gonna make much sense to you at many points throughout the story, but that’s the point of The Locked Tomb - everything is confusing, and it’s about sapphics in space! 

The thing about this series is they’re the most unique books you’ll ever read. Every volume has a different approach to telling its story. There’s so many mysteries and it’s almost impossible to understand all the intricacies without sitting down and doing some work. The magic system is also the wonkiest, coolest thing - it involves eating people, sometimes, y’know. And, I promise, you’ll love every single second of it. Especially because there’s absolutely no homophobia or transphobia in any of it, and almost every character is queer as fuck - especially after the second book, when gender starts getting a little funky!

Winter’s Orbit, by Everina Maxwell

I love this book so much, and so know that it comes highly, highly recommended! I have a whole five star review on it you can check out here. (Do check trigger warnings, though! You should always, but especially for this one. I didn’t and they really got me!). 

Winter’s Orbit features my absolutely favorite trope - queer arranged marriage. (Nothing better - those three words and you know it’s gonna be a queer normal world, have some politics and probably be really fucking sweet.) This one is probably one of only ones out of this list where the romance is very predominant and serves as an important B plot. It’s also a standalone, but has a companion book in the same universe, called Ocean’s Echo, which rocks, too!

This one follows Jainan, a recent widower who is rushed into an arranged marriage with Prince Kiem in order to keep the alliance between their homelands intact. Together, they must navigate court intrigue I’m trying my best not to spoil and investigate Jainan’s ex-husband’s death, which might not have been an accident, after all...

In this sci-fi fantasy world, being queer is completely normal, and their system when it comes to gender is absolutely fascinating. People will wear little gender signifiers, like a wodden token for female, for instance, so that others know how to refer to them. It’s super cool to see these kind of things incorporated into the world-building, and it’s something you really only get when queer authors are behind the helm.

(Also, this was originally written online, and it was actually picked up and traditionally published! Which is so cool! Queer fics becoming traditionally published books is so rare, it’s so nice to see it actually happen!)

The Teixcalaan Series, starting with A Memory Called Empire, by Arkady Martine

This is another one of my favorites! I read it last year and it blew me away - so much so that I’ve been itching to re-read it ever since I finished the second book.

The Teixcalaan Series is a political sci-fi duology focusing on the themes of language, empire and cultural domination through imperialism. It’s amazing, and I wrote about it in a full-length review, here, if you wanna take a look! 

It follows Mahit Dzamare, from the tiny Lsel Station, who becomes the ambassador to the huge Teixcalaan Empire, whose culture she’s been in love with for ages. The problem? Something happened to the Lsel ambassador, and the Empire’s control over the Station has been growing ever bigger. To make matters worse, Mahit’s imago machine - the cerebral implant full of her predecessors memories and experiences - doesn’t seem to be working properly, leaving her with a ghost of her predecessor inside of her head...

With all the problems the Teixcalaan Empire has, it’s not homophobic or transphobic, which is a plus for us gays who want to read in peace. Mahit has a charged relationship with her cultural liason, Three Seagrass (yes, that’s her name; yes, there’s an in-world explanation; no, I won’t tell you what it is, you’ll have to read it and find out), not to mention all the hijinks she finds out her predecessor was up to. And none of it needs to be justified or explained at all - people are just gay, and that’s fine!

On A Sunbeam, by Tillie Walden

This graphic novel has a stunning art style, and, listen closely sapphics, absolutely no men at all. Yep. Literally there’s only women and non-binary people in this comic! 

And guess what? It’s available to read for free, here. Thank you, Ms. Walden!

Here, romance is also an important plot point. On A Sunbeam follows Mia, who starts working for a crew of repair-people who rebuild broken down structures. In another timeline, we flashback to her experiences at her boarding school, and to her relationship with a new student.

What’s most unique about On A Sunbeam - apart from the fact that there are no men at all - is it’s unique version of outer space. It’s almost historical, with huge sprawling marble structures decaying, surronded by trees. The ships are shaped like huge fish. You can feel the whimsy in your bones from the colors and the art style that Ms. Walden uses, here.

This standalone is definitely worth a read. And if you like it, you should definitely check out the rest of Ms. Walden’s work - it’s all as beautiful as this is, if not more. Her The End of Summer was one of my favorite reads, last year.

That’s all I’ve got, guys, but lemme know if you want more of these - I have so many, I can definitely recommend you more! Drop me an ask if you have specifications, too - I’m always happy to do some digging :)

#booklr #book recommendations #book recs #queer books #sapphic books #lgbtq books #book review #queer sff #sff books #the locked tomb #the genesis of misery #neon yang #gideon the ninth #winters orbit #a memory called empire #teixcalaan #on a sunbeam #tillie walden

[to-be-a-bee]

Reading The Genesis of Misery like, hmm, this feels a little Locked Tomb. Like, humanity left the source planet about 10 000 years ago, there was cryopreservation involved at some point, and when they enter a certain part of space, the void might take over their body (much like the things beyond the river that enter bodies without souls). Interesting framing and narration (for the later locked tomb books). Girl from a whole at the edge of civilization who learned to only rely on herself (I know Misery uses she/they). A heretical sect at war with the Empire. Also, the internet speak/ references, very fun.

Misery is more like Harrow in their awareness of their insanity. That aside, Misery Nomaki is singular in her disbelief of the divine when it is directly in front of her. Gideon also was disbelieving in the usefulness of prayer but always knew that God was out there in the universe and dreaded meeting him. There is more to Misery’s character, obviously, I just can’t help notice the similarities.

(I am only about a quarter of the way into Genesis, no spoilers please!)

#the genesis of misery #the locked tomb #tlt spoilers #nona the ninth spoilers #harrow the ninth spoilers #harrowhark nonagesimus #gideon nav

[godzilla-reads]

“You fancy me a storyteller, do you? A sayer of sooths, a vessel of revelation? As if their story were mine to tell?”

—The Genesis of Misery by Neon Yang

#godzilla reads #the genesis of misery #neon yang #book quotes #books and flowers #reading #bookworm #booklr #bookish #book blog #bibliophile

[torpublishinggroup]

Who are you but in book form? That’s what this is about. It’s not complicated. You’re a human, but also a book, so get your main character on and let’s figure this out!

#to read #booksona #quiz #silly little quiz #sweep of stars #maurice broaddus #the warden #daniel m. ford #spring's arcana #lilith saintcrow #the terraformers #annalee newitz #the genesis of misery #neon yang #legends & lattes #travis baldree #tor books

[cassiopeiathe1st]

hello fellow locked tomb stans! i have a book rec for you! the genesis of misery by neon yang. it has...

a feral protagonist named misery (she/they) who is a.....very unreliable narrator. they’ve just escaped the middle-of-nowhere planet where they grew up raised by the church. that’s them holding up a middle finger on the cover. are they a legitimate prophet or a fraud? are those divine visions or space madness-induced hallucinations? inquiring minds, misery included, would love to know!

an empire that is Catholicism Part 2 Electric Boogaloo In Space

two branches of human civilization fighting a centuries-long war where it’s unclear how much of each side’s story of events is true. also unclear where the line is between science and religion, or whether there is one at all

a deeply queer cast of characters highlighting a variety of gender identities (the author is nonbinary!)

an enemies to lovers arc of the “i’ll kill you with my bare hands” to “i’ll die for you” variety

a couple of disclaimers though:

yes, it does start out in first person present tense, but that’s only used in brief interludes that act as a frame story so don’t let it scare you away! most of the book is in third person past tense.

genesis of misery 🤝 tlt, particularly harrow: being gaslit by a book as you read it. you simply do not know what the fuck is going on the entire time and will only get MORE confused as you read. this is a feature of the reading experience, not a bug. 

don’t go in expecting the pacing to be similar to the locked tomb books. instead of a gradual build into a chaotic final act where all the pieces finally come together and Shit Goes Down, this was a wild ride all the way through and there isn’t the same sense of (relative) clarity at the end. it’s more plot- & worldbuilding-driven than the moment-to-moment character-focused narration you get in tlt. it’s closer in vibe to other space operas i’ve read in that way.

so yeah. if this sounds like something you’d be into, check it out!

#tlt #the locked tomb #the genesis of misery #neon yang #also i am in no way the first to connect these dots it's literally compared to tlt in the blurb!! #just felt compelled to share bc WOW that comparison turned out accurate #book recs #my posts

[haveyoureadthisscifibook]

vote yes if you have finished the entire book.

vote no if you have not finished the entire book.

(faq · submit a book)

#scifi #books #The Genesis of Misery #Neon Yang #poll #result: no #l: English

[layaart]

a couple doodles from The Genesis of Misery!  obsessed with this book!

#The Genesis of Misery #neon yang #books #book fanart #joan of arc doodle bc joan of arc retelling #2022 fanart

[qbdatabase]

The Genesis of Misery by Neon Yang This is the story of Misery Nomaki (she/they) – a nobody from a nowhere mining planet who possesses the rare stone-working powers of a saint. Unfortunately, these saint-like abilities also manifest in those succumbing to voidmadness, like that which killed Misery’s mother. Knowing they aren’t a saint but praying they aren’t voidmad, Misery keeps quiet about their power for years, while dreaming and scheming up ways off their Forge-forsaken planet. But when the voice of an angel, or a very convincing delusion, leads Misery to the center of the Empire, they find themself trapped between two powerful and dangerous factions, each hoping to use Misery to win a terrible war.

#agender #daily book #nonbinary #queer #queer rep #adult books #angels #lgbtqia #nonbinary protagonist #queer books #retelling #robots #science fiction #space opera #The Genesis of Misery #Neon Yang #bookblr

[transbookoftheday]

My Favorite Trans Books

Today is my (@traeumenvonbuechern) birthday, so I want to share some of my favorite trans books with you to celebrate!

#the witch king #godly heathens #h.e. edgmon #cheer up #cheer up: love and pompoms #crystal frasier #sir callie and the champions of helston #esme symes-smith #a lady for a duke #alexis hall #lark & kasim start a revolution #moonflower #kacen callender #the genesis of misery #neon yang #lakelore #anna-marie mclemore #the heartbreak bakery #a.r. capetta #grit #silas denver melvin #transmasc #transfem #nonbinary #trans book of the day #trans books #queer books #bookblr #booklr

[aroaessidhe]

this post of Sapphics With The Voice Of An Annoying Guy In Their Head is still going around and I thought I should make a broader list of Guy (gender neutral) In Your Head books

-----

A Psalm of Storms and Silence - when the malevolent god you made a deal with attaches himself to you until you complete your end of the bargain

The Scratch Daughters - when your soul gets stolen so your witch coven's book demon sits in your body to keep you alive until you get it back

Vespertine - when you touch a saint's relic and get possessed by a petty ancient revenant

This Dark Descent - when the voice in your head telling you to give into the darkness might not just be your conscience, but have something to do with the book you learnt illegal magic from

A Memory Called Empire - when you're the ambassador going to the centre of the empire with a copy of your predecessor implanted in your brain, investigating his death together

Ninefox Gambit - when you're a space army captain and you get the ghost of a traitor general put in your head in an attempt to win a war

The Genesis of Misery - there's an angel in your head that leads you to the centre of the space empire where you become a messiah

Fever Crumb - you have machinery in your blood that your grandfather put there and you keep seeing his thoughts and memories

Wolfpack - when you escape a cult only to become the host for an angelrobot that uses you to help it on its revenge mission

Odder Still - you have a sentient alien parasite attached to you and you become the voice to save its species from extortion

The Midnight Bargain - when you practice sorcery in secret and summon a spirit to help steal back a book, and its price is to possess you while you experience your first kiss

Drunk on All Your Strange New Words - the alien cultural ambassador you translate for died and his ghost stuck around in your head and wants to you figure out who murdered him

Black Water Sister - when you move back to Malaysia and your dead grandmother posesses you and wants you to exact revenge against a gang boss who offended her god

feel free 2 add

#book list #also yes I skipped some bc I don't know how to explain without spoilers.....I mean I guess some here are spoilers but like... #the scratch daughters #vespertine #the genesis of misery #a memory called empire #i aint tagging all of those

[logarithmicpanda]

The Genesis of Misery (Neon Yang)

Joan of arc but in space with giant mechas

Misery Nomaki is my favorite kind of feral protagonist lmao

Mixes scifi with magical elements, some gemstones have special properties that can be manipulated by people

Very queer, and every character is introduced with their pronouns

First of a trilogy! Which I didn't know when I started reading, whoops

9/10

Comes out September 27, 2022! I was lucky to win an ARC lol

#the genesis of misery #neon yang #quick and dirty reviews #book recs #reblog later

[contracat25]

It is finally September which means hopefully cooler weather, fun fall clothing (sweaters my love), seasonal adventures aaaand of course NEW BOOKS! Admittedly the fact that we are finally getting Nona has me just.... vibrating out of my skin. Like no joke I'm barely keeping it together. Buuuuut there are a handful of other books that I'm pretty stoked about. As always, this list doesn't include sequels (I have a different set of lists for those), but without further ado, some of the books I am most excited about coming out this month!

The Sunbearer Trails by Aiden Thomas

The Genesis of Misery by Neon Yang

Self-Made Boys by Anna-Marie McLemore

Notorious Sorcerer by Davinia Evans

#booklr #queer books #2022 books #2022 releases #upcoming releases #upcoming books #queer sff #queer historical fiction #the sunbearer trials #aiden thomas #the genesis of misery #neon yang #Self-made boys #Anna-marie McLemore #Notorious sorcerer #Davinia Evans #september 2022 books #september 2022 releases #ya books #adult books

[ninsiana0]

Read THE GENESIS OF MISERY by Neon Yang if you like Joan of Arc, Gundam, space battles, rocks, religion trauma, gender fuckery, prophesies & messiahs, political intrigue, cults, us vs. them narratives, morality pretzels, madness, angels, space stations, backwater moons, and having your mind blow.

#The Genesis of Misery #Neon Yang #book #books #bookreview #bookworm #booklover #bookish #book recommendations #book review #Read this if #booksoftumblr #read #reads #reading #reader #readers #readersoftumblr #readmore #readingissexy #novel #novels #queer reads #trans representation #trans books

[caribeandthebooks]

Caribe's Science Fiction TBR - Part 1

#in the lives of puppets #tj klune #how high we go in the dark #sequoia nagamatsu #sea of tranquility #emily st. john mandel #station eternity #mur lafferty #the genesis of misery #neon yang #remote control #nnedi okorafor #science fiction #book tumblr #booklr #bookblr #books #book blog #tbr jar #tbr list